Harvesting-machine.



No. 642,024. Patented Jan. 23, I900. W. L. WALTON.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

(Application filed July 19, 1699.)

(No Model.)

W/T/VESSES ma uoams PETERS w. PHOTOLITNQ. vasmunrcu, ave.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'WILlllAM L. \VALTON, OF NECHE, NORTH DAKOTA.

HARVESTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,024, dated January 23, 1900.

Application filed July 19, 1899. Serial No. 724,398. (No model.)

f all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. WALTON, of Neche, in the county of Pembina and State of North Dakota, have invented a new and usefullmprovementin Harvesting-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and economic driving and supporting mechanism for harvesting-machines so constructed that the draft will be exceptionally light and whereby the mastenwheel will travel over soft and wet places as readily and with no more detriment than when traversing solid ground.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a portion of the master-wheel and parts connected therewith, the section being taken practically on the line 1 1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. Fig. 3 is a side view of the master-wheel, the truck operated in connection therewith, and an end view of the elevator of the harvester. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a modified form of truck used in connection with the master-wheel, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the upper part of the elevator (not shown in Fig. 1) and an inner view of a portion of the master-wheel.

In practice ithas been found that the greater part of the hard draft common to most harvesters is due to the fact that a master-wheel thirty to thirty-four inches in diameter is employed to carry the weight of the machinery. Harvesters are usually required to work in soft ground,and the ordinary master-wheel sinks from one to four or five inches in the soft soil, not only occasioning heavy draft, but seriously affecting the driving of the machinery. In fact, owing to the ordinary masterwheel sinking in soft ground or wet places the driving mechanism is caused to choke up and the master-wheel to slide in the loose ground. I aim by my improvement to overcome all these difficulties and provide a mastor-wheel as fully effective as those heretofore employed and that will travel upon soft ground equally as well as upon a hard surface, and, furthermore, to provide a simple and effective driving mechanism operated from the master-Wheel and which will not interfere with the raising or the lowering of the elevator and its connected parts.

A represents the elevator of the harvesting-machine, and B the master-wheel. The master-wheel is of a diameter of about six or seven feet, so that practically a portion of the elevator extends through the masterwheel without detriment. The master-wheel may be of any desired or approved construction, but is without an axle and spokeless. The breadth and the thickness of the masterwheel are such that even should the masterwheel be drawn over exceedingly wet or soft ground the earth cannot gain access to the interior of the wheel and thus interrupt its progress.

At each side of the elevator A, as shown in Fig. 3, two guide-wheels are adjustably mounted, and these guide-wheels engage with the inner face of the master-wheel at both of its side faces, the guidewheels 10 being flanged, and the flanges extend over the outside inner peripheral portions of the masterwheel. The master-wheel is provided with a series of slots 11, produced in its inner face, and the slots are at predetermined intervals apart and are in a contin uous series. A yoke or an arch 12 is secured to the central portion of the bottom of the elevator A, and the said arch 12 passes through the master-wheel at its vertical center and below its longitudinal center. Each vertical member of the arch is formed into a loop 13, and each loop 13 is provided with interiorly-located teeth 14, as shown in Fig. 3.

A truck 0 is employed in connection with the master-wheel and the supporting-frame of the elevator. This truck is usually made as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in which the truck is shown as consisting of two parallel sides 15 of any suitable construction, each side carrying at its ends bearings 16 and at the centers bearings 16 An axle 17 is passed through the bearings at one end of the truck, and a parallel axle 18 is passed through the bearings 16 at the opposite end of the truck, and upon each of the axles 17 and 18 guidewheels 19 are mounted to turn, each guidewheel being provided with a flange at its outer edge. The main peripheral portions of these guide-wheels engage with the inner peripheral portions of the master-wheel, while the flanges of the guide-wheels 19 engage with the outer faces of the master-wheel, as is best shown in Fig. 2. An axle 20 is journaled in the central bearings 16 of the truck. The

axle is mounted to turn in these bearings and is provided near its outer end with a spurwheel 21, which is adapted to travel in the outer loop 13 of the arch 12 in engagement with the teeth 14 of said loop, while a second spur-wheel 22 is located at what may be termed thefinner end of the axle- 20, and the inner spur-wheel 22 engages with the teeth in the inner loop 13 of the arch 12, which loop, as heretofore stated, is connected with the supporting-frame of the elevator A. The inner spur-wheel 22 is preferably madeintegral with a worm-wheel 23, and the said worm- Wheel 23 engages with a worm 24 on a shaft carried to any suitable point and having any approved bearings, and through the medium of a worm-shaft the elevator may be raised and lowered, as occasion may demand. A sleeve 25 is loosely mounted on the axle 20 of the truck, and two sprocket-wheels 26 and 27 are secured to the said sleeve, the teeth of the outer sprocket 26 being so spaced as to enter the openings 11 in the master-wheel, while the sprocket-wheel 27 is adapted as a drivingwheel, receiving its motion from the masterwheel.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a slight modification in the construction of the truck, in which instead of employing four small guidewheels 19, engaging with the bottom portion of the master-wheel, two larger guide-wheels 28 are used, adapted to engage with opposite sides of the master-wheel, each of the wheels 28 being provided with an outer flange. The wheels 28 are connected by a sleeve 29, which is mounted to turn on an axle 30, corresponding to the axle 20, it being understood that the axles 20 and 30 are only revolved when the elevator is to be raised or lowered.

A spur-wheel 31, corresponding to the wheel 26, is secured on the sleeve 29, and the spur wheel is adapted, as is the wheel 26, to be driven by the master-wheel B. A drivingsprocket 32, corresponding to the drivingsprocket 27, is secured upon the inner end of the said sleeve 29.

Many means may be devised for preventing the guide-wheels 10 from jam ming against the master-wheel in a manner to prevent the elevator being raised and lowered; but the preferred construction to accomplish such end is that illustrated.

It will be observed by reference to Figs. 3 and 5 that at the front and rear upper faces of the elevator A a horizontal pin 33 is so mounted that upon each pin a substantially U-shaped hanger 34 may be pivoted. The side members of these hangers 34 are angular, as is particularly shown in Fig. 3, and at or about the central portion of the sides of the hangers 34 the guide-wheels 10, heretofore referred to, are pivotally mounted. An arm 35 is carried downward from the central lower portion of each hanger 34, and each arm 35 is provided with a friction-wheel 36. These friction-wheels 36 rest upon the inclined faces of cams 37, the cams being secured upon the ends of a shaft 38, which shaft is journaled in brackets 39, projected outwardly from the elevator at front and rear or in direction of the master-wheel. A crank-arm 4Q is attached to the shaft 38 at or near its center, and the crank-arm is connected by an angular connecting-rod 41 with the axle 20 or the axle 30, whichever form of mechanism is employed, the connection between the axle and the rod 41 being preferably adjacent to the sprocketwheel that enters the openings in the masterwheel. The crank-arm is in a horizontal position when the machine is raised to the center of its raising and lowering scope. Either raising or lowering the machine from this point will turn the shaft 38, and consequently cause the cams 37 to draw the guide-rollers 10 in to conform to the circle of the masterwheel.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 7 1. In a harvesting-machine, the combination with a ring-like master-wheel provided with recesses in its inner peripheral surface,

of a truck having at each end flanged guidewheels traveling on the inner peripheral surface of the master-wheel, a shaft at the center of the truck, a sleeve loose on the shaft, a toothed wheel at the outer end of the sleeve and engaging the recesses of the masterwheel, a driving-wheel on the inner end of said sleeve, outside of the master-wheel, an elevator extending into the master-wheel and having adjustable guides engaging the inner face of the same, and means for raising and lowering the elevator from the truck, substantially as described.

2. In a harvesting-machine, the combination with a ring-like master-wheel, of an elevator extending into the master-wheel and having adjustable guides engaging the inner face of the same, a truck mounted to travel on the inner peripheral surface of the masterwheel, and a rack-and-pinion connection between the truck and elevator,whereby the latter may be raised and lowered, as set forth.

3. In a harvesting-machine, the combination with a ring-like master-wheel,and a truck mounted to travel on the inner peripheral surface of the same, of an elevator extending into the master-wheel and provided with movable guides engaging the inner face, of the master-wheel, means for raising and lowering the elevator, and means whereby the guides are made to conform to the circle of the master-wheel, as the elevator is raised and lowered, as set forth.

4. In a harvestingnnachine, the combination with a ringlike master-wheel,and a truck mounted to travel on the inner peripheral surface of the same, of an elevator extending into the master-wheel and provided at opposite sides with flanged guide-wheels engaging the inner face of the masterwvheel, means for raising and lowering the elevator from the truck, and means for adjusting the said guidewheels to compensate for the change in ourvature of the mastenwheel as the elevator is raised and lowered, substantially as described.

5. In a harvesting-machine, the combination with a ring-like master-wheel, a truck mounted to travel on the inner peripheral surface of the same, an elevator extending into the masterwheel, and means for raising and lowering the elevator from the truck, of frames hinged to opposite sides of the elevator, flanged guide -wheels mounted in the frames and engaging the inner face of the master-wheel, and cams operated by the raising and lowering of the elevator, and with which the frames engage for holding the guide-wheels in contact with the masterwheel, substantially as described.

6. In a hEt1V6ShlI1P,-I11fLOlJlIl6, the combination with a ring-like master-wheel, a truck mounted to travel on the inner peripheral surface of the master-wheel, an elevator extending into the master-wheel, and means for raising and lowering the elevator, of frames hinged to opposite sides of the elevator and provided with friction rollers, flanged guidewheels mounted in the frames and engaging the inner face of the master-wheel, a shaft mounted in the elevator and provided with an arm between its ends, a cam on each end of the shaft and with which the friction-rollers of the said frames engage, and a rod having one end connected with the arm of the shaft and the other with the truck, substantially as described.

7. In a harvesting-machine, the combination with a ring-like master-wheel, and a truck mounted to travel on the inner peripheral surface of the master-wheel, of an elevator extending into the master-Wheel, an arch or yoke secured to the elevator and having each member thereof formed with a rack, pinions mounted on the truck and engaging the racks of the yoke or arch, and means for operating the said pinions, substantially as described.

8. In a harvesting-machine, the combination with a ring-like masterwheel, and a truck mounted to travel in the inner peripheral surface of the master-wheel, of an elevatorextending into the master-wheel, ayoke secured to the elevator and having looped ends, each loop being provided with interiorly-located teeth, pinions mounted on the truck and engaging the teeth of the said loops, a worm-wheel secured to one of the pinions, and a worm-shaft engaging the worm-Wheel, substantially as described.

9. In a harvesting-machine, the combination, with the frame thereof, an axleless master-wheel through which a portion of the frame extends, and guides carried by the frame and engaging with the master-wheel,the said master-wheel being provided with a series of openings in its inner peripheral surface, of an arch connected with the said frame, extending through the master-Wheel, one member of the arch being connected with the frame and both pendent members of the arch being of looped formation and having teeth formed thereon, a truck located at the bottom portion of the master-wheel within the same, the said truck being provided with guide-wheels engaging with the inner peripheral surface of the master-wheel and with the outer faces thereof, an axle carried by the said truck, pinions secured to the said axle, adapted to extend within the loop portion of the arch and engage the teeth thereof, means for turning the said axle,whereby the frame may be raised and lowered, a sprocket-wheel loosely mounted upon the said axle, the teeth whereof are adapted to enter openings in the master-wheel, and a driving-pulley connected with the said sprocket-wheel, as and for the purpose set forth.

\VILLIAM L. WALTON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. MAHoN, WILLIAM VosPER. 

